Contributed by Miko MéChan Franklin is a Chicago-based fashion/entertainment publicist and founder of Publicity Stunt, Inc

New designers often ask how they can build their brand with minimal investment of both time and money. While this is a tall order, trunk shows can be a viable way for new and established designers to maintain/establish a following, boost sales and entice retail buyers.

To make trunk show planning as painless as possible, here are a few tips:

Venue

• Underestimating the importance of the venue is a big mistake. Whether or a boutique, department store or other, the venue’s image and prestige should match that of your brand’s. Aside from image, it is important to select a location that has the necessary requirements and accommodations for the show. These may include particular lighting, easily accessible physical location and inside floor layout. Beverly Solomon, former sales and marketing specialist for Diane von Furstenberg, recommends that department store shows be situated near busy aisles, so as to gain the attention of passers-by. Similarly, she advises that boutique shows be viewable from windows so that foot traffic may turn into sales.

Agreement

• An often overlooked aspect of planning a trunk show is the agreement with the vendor. Be sure to stipulate terms before hosting your show to prevent confusion later. Typically, contracts can spell out how lost or damaged merchandise will be handled, the percentage of sales—if any—the venue will receive, the specific roles of each party or length of show.

Guest List

• The “who’s who” of the local industry should be at the top of the guest list for your trunk show. Because influencers and tastemakers have reach that extends beyond themselves, you might find it beneficial to reach. On the “industry influencers” list, don’t forget to include buyers of local boutiques and stores. Additionally, it is critical to identify a list of existing and prospective clients as guests. Invitations should go out approximately four to six weeks prior to the actual trunk show.

Theme

• It is customary to host a show shortly before a new season to introduce the coming season’s line. With this in mind, plan your show accordingly, ensuring that the theme matches the upcoming season. For instance, if your show is held in April or May, be prepared to showcase your summer designs; if it is held in July or August, be prepared to introduce those autumn-friendly fashions. Make sure that the theme is evident throughout every aspect of your show, from the designs to the invitations to the venue atmosphere.

Publicity/Outreach

• If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to witness it, does it make a sound? The same can be asked about a trunk show with no promotion or publicity. And even better, a trunk show is the perfect excuse for you to promote your brand to the news media.

If the thought of planning a trunk shows makes you nervous, contract a publicist or event planner who is experienced in planning shows. Don’t pass up this unique opportunity to showcase your designs.

Brands are always looking for new and innovative ways to tell their story. Social media has provided new channels for PR and marketing, and the core of this new promotional mix is often centered around engaging the the almighty Fashion Influencer, the early adopter, the brand ambassador. While many fashion PR pros may be well versed in the rationale and purpose of pitching fashion bloggers, few brands have gone beyond the fashion blog to engage with fashion influencers in the other places where they are connecting with each other and producing content online.

American Apparel has a history of working directly with fashion influencers as well using real people, aka not models, in their advertising. To recap, they made a series of ads with Chictopia members last year, held an in-store modeling call/shoot for customers during New York’s Fashion’s Night Out, and photographed style bloggers such as The Chic Muse in Mexico City and The Cherry Blossom Girl in Paris.

However, the partnership with LookBook.nu is the most extensive to date, and is rooted in AA’s true appreciation for the LookBook.nu community, as well as a company commitment to use resources as a big company to do cool artistic projects with artists whose work they enjoy. In case you aren’t familiar, LookBook.nu is an invite-only international community of members who post their outfits. Members then vote up the looks that they like, and the more votes, the more your reputation grows. LookBook.nu regularly runs contests with fashion brands that engage their community around producing content.

As a representative from AA explains, “basically, we were intrigued with LookBook.nu when it first came out, which led us to eventually advertise and feature their users on our site. We decided to do a bigger collaboration late last year and as part of it hosted a contest where their members submitted photos featuring their favorite American Apparel pieces. Now there are something like 7,000+ looks of people using our basics. Our 132 favorites became The LOOKBOOK.nu Lookbook by American Apparel.”

Read more

Have you heard about WikiFashion? It’s basically Wikipedia for fashion and it’s a total duh to make sure all your clients have their own profiles. Madeline of Lola PR came up with the concept and has been generously adding profiles herself, despite the fact that as a Wiki, it’s basically open for anyone to edit. Check out PR Couture’s WikiFashion page, if you’re interested.

Recognizing an opportunity, Madeline is now opening up WikiFashion to partners like tech savvy fashion PR agencies to 1) become experts in the editing process and 2) be recommended on WikiFashion for profile development. Basically you’d be saying that for a fee, you are willing to work with brands and fashion personalities to get their pages up and keep them maintained. What a great way to get in front of new potential clients!

For more information, get in touch with Madeline at madeline.veenstra[at]wikifashion.com – you can also follow WikiFashion on Twitter.